


The Legacy of the Father

by RedHorizon



Series: Tales From Frost and Fire [1]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-12 04:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3344345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHorizon/pseuds/RedHorizon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three months after the Eternal Winter, Elsa had begun to embrace her power as a blessing. Meanwhile, old enemies return; new alliance was forged; revenge was threatened upon the royal family. With the help of a man from the north, Elsa would discover a shocking truth about the origins of her power. It wasn't a curse, nor a blessing. It was a legacy, and also her destiny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The sun was crawling lazily across the sky. The sea was quiet and gentle like a mother’s heart, welcoming its children back to the shore. Ships had docked at the harbor and sailors had returned home, to a warm fireplace with a dinner already been prepared, with their wives and children or to the taverns and fill up their stomachs until the sun began to rise from the horizon again. The waves were lapping tenderly onto the shore and the wind blowing gently, bringing the salty taste of the sea air into the land.

A young man rushed through the city. People were hurrying on the streets, eager to get home from a day of working, but they stopped as he passed by and pushed them aside from his way and followed him with confusing and astonished eyes, some even with pity in their gazes. They looked at him until he had been out of sight, shaking their head and continued on their ways… He ignored them all and hurried his feet. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. He had to get there in time – he must. He had to get there before it was too late…

As he reached his destination, he swung the door open. The young man stood at the doorway for a brief moment, panting heavily. Sweat was dripping on his forehead and face. He scanned the room quickly. In the orange light of the sun streaming through the windows, he could see the healer standing in the the room with her head bowing in hopelessness and desperation. A young woman was sitting on a stool beside the bed, sobbing quietly with her face burried in her hands, hair sprawling on her shoulders and back. She glanced up at him, but quickly looked down as her eyes met his. In the bed, there lay a sick old man. His eyes were closed. Skin was pale and there appeared to be no energy left in him. He lay still, coughing and writhing in the pain eating him out from the inside, torturing every inch of him, breaths being pulled in and out his lungs raggedly.

The old man slowly opened his tiring eyes and held out his arm shakily toward the young man, calling his name weakly and gestured him to come to him. The young man quickly rushed to his side and knelt down, holding his father’s hand in his.

“My son,” the old man said, “My time is coming to an end. I’m afraid I don’t have much longer in this world.”

“No,” the young man shook his head, “Don’t say that. You’ll be alright. We’ll find some way else to save you.”

“I’m dying, my son,” the father coughed roughly. “I can feel the death coming, and there is nothing I can do about it. I cannot run from this – no one can, when God has decided someone’s fate. It’s time. Though I don’t want to leave you, my children, I must go. I must come to God. My fate has been decided. He’s waiting for me now…

“But my business has not yet been completed. You know full well what I am talking about, my son.”

“No, Father, please,” the young man shook his head. “I’ll find her, I’ll find both of them, I promise you, but it doesn’t have to be this way.”

“I had sworn on your mother and the brothers of our clan’s graves, but I haven’t been able to fulfill that oath. You must find her, find them if could, and you must revenge your mother and our people!”

The young man bowed his head solemnly and nodded reluctantly. “I swear on my own life,” he replied with trembling voice, holding his father’s hand tightly. The old man let out a sigh of relief and satisfaction. The ties binding him to this world were no longer there. His sould was finally at peace. His eyes slid shut and head turning to one side, body going limp and cold. His son cried out for him, but there was no respond. The young man begged the healer to do something, but she simply shook her head gravely. It was too late. He was gone.

The sun had finally sunk below the horizon. Darkness and shadow of the night descended upon the land. The day had died, taking a life away with it.


	2. A Gift To Cherish

Elsa Isole Frosberg Henriksen, Crown Princess of Arendelle, waited anxiously at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Great Hall. She was in her formal attire, a simple but regal indigo dress with matching jacket, and of course with the in dispensable presence of a pair of light blue gloves concealing her hands.

Her curse, she silently thought to herself with a deep sadness and a hint of fear in her cerulean blue eyes.

Of course, no one could blame the young princess for fearing her own power, for it hadn’t brought anything but misfortune to her. From the day she was born, Elsa had possessed the ability to wield the elements of winter easily as breathing itself. It was such an incredible gift, yet people couldn’t bring themselves to appreciate the beauty within. When he discovered that she had magic, her own grandfather – the late King Harald of Arendelle – had instantly called her a monster and tried to kill her, but thankfully her father had managed to ease the furious king and convince him she would learn to control her power. Harald had decided to spare his granddaughter’s life, however her powers must remain secret to the whole world. After that, everything was quite good for the eldest princess of Arendelle. But that was until one faithful night.

It wasn’t her fault, really. It was completely unintentional. She had, ironically, tripped on ice, and instinctively thrust her arm toward her little sister when she saw her jumping from such a high block of snow. But the ice had been shot out from the palm of her hand and hit directly at Anna’s head. The younger princess was healed by the trolls in the Rock Valley. However it had left an unusual white streak in her strawberry blonde hair. And from that night, the two sisters were separated.

It had been almost ten years since then. Every day was a torment for Elsa listening to Anna’s begs and pleas for her to come out. Every day she had to tell her sister to go away despite it made her heart ache a thousand times. For ten years she had lived in fear – fear of her dangerous curse and fear of hurting her loved ones. Since that incident, her father, though he never admitted, Elsa knew he feared her and her power. He made her wear gloves every time and taught her to ‘Conceal, don’t feel’. Agdar never said he was afraid of his daughter’s ability, but the young princess could see it clearly in his eyes.

The only person beside Anna who appreciated and loved her powers was her mother – Queen Consort Idun of Arendelle. She had been the only friend and company Elsa had for the past ten years. Her mother came to her at least once every day, usually at night before she went to bed, to check on her. She was always there when Elsa was lonely or needed someone with her, to comfort her and support her every time she was sad, scared or depressed. It had always been her mother who would hold Elsa’s cold hands in her owns, softly telling her that her powers were no curse, but a beautiful gift to cherish.

“But why do people fear them? Why do my father and his father fear them?” Elsa had asked her mother once when she was ten.

“Listen to me, Isole,” her mother said softly but firm, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead, her warm brown eyes staring into the young girl’s sparkling cerulean ones. Idun always called her daughter by her middle name every time she had something important to say or simply just to express her love for her firstborn daughter.

“Your power is no curse, no danger, no weapon and no threat. It will only be if you don’t use it wisely. Always remember, my daughter, that this power of yours is an amazing gift. People are only afraid of it because they cannot be able to see the true beauty that lies within. Don’t let the people’s fear make you think otherwise of your powers.”

The princess smiled at the memory. Her mother had been the only friend she had. She was ever so loving and gentle. Every time she looked into her mother’s eyes, the only thing she found was love and tenderness. Perhaps it was the only place where she could find the truest and purest peace in the world.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the sound of her parents reached her ears. Elsa immediately turned her head toward them. Her father walked down the stairs, dressed in his formal attire as King of Arendelle – her grandfather had passed away six years ago when she was twelve and her father had ascended the throne. There was love for her in his emerald eyes as he looked at her but his face kept stoic. Her mother was at his side, her arm linked to his. She was dressed in a beautiful, elegant lavender dress with her chestnut brown hair styled into a sophisticated bun that only emphasised her grace and beauty. Her brown eyes were tender and warm like sunlight as usual and full with love; her bright smile seemed to add the light to her gleaming eyes.

As they arrived in front of her, the princess dipped into a perfect curtsy. As she slowly and gracefully rose, she looked at them, her eyes filled with fear and worries.

“Do you have to go?” she asked with quivering voice. She was nervous. Her parents would be going to Corona – her mother’s homeland – for the wedding of her cousin, Crown Princess Rapunzel of Corona. The trip would last for two weeks and Elsa would be named Regent during her parents’ absence. How was she supposed to cope with it?

“You’ll be fine, Elsa,” her father reassured her softly, while her mother gave her a weak smile. However, the young princess immediately noticed that the queen had something to say, and her father seemed to know that. He quickly said his goodbye to his eldest daughter and gave her a kiss on her forehead before making his way toward Kai, the steward, who was waiting for the royal couple near the door to the Great Hall, thus leaving Elsa alone with her mother.

Idun watched as her husband went then turned back to her daughter. Looking into the girl’s eyes, she knew Elsa was scared. No, the princess was frightened.

“Isole, my daughter, fret not,” she began. “I will go, and I _will_ return to you. I promise you so. I will not be gone forever. Even if I didn’t return, bear in mind that I will always be with you, no matter what.” She paused, reaching her hands behind her neck and pulled her necklace over her head then held it in front of her, between her and her daughter. It was simple-designed and antique piece of jewels, with a fairly large diamond-shaped crystal blue gemstone hanging on a silver chain. The necklace was beautiful; however the design was rather strange. Obviously it wasn’t from Arendelle. The people of Arendelle, being as peaceful and genuine as they were, would prefer something that looked milder and more elegant and graceful, not something rough and hard like this.

The queen carefully put the necklace around the princess’s pale, slender neck. A smile touched her lips as she took a look at her daughter. The necklace fitted the young princess perfectly as if it had been specially made for her. Idun gently brought her hand to cup the side of the younger woman’s porcelain face.

“You look beautiful,” Idun said softly. “Keep this necklace as a reminder of me, my daughter, so that you would always have me by your side.”

A smile appeared on the young princess’s rosy lips. She looked down and fiddled with the necklace in her fingers. The crystal blue gemstone seemed to glow in the light of the room, and to her surprise, it was cold to the touch.

“This is beautiful. Thank you, Mother,” Elsa said. “I shall treasure this.”

“Remember what I have taught you, Elsa,” she said, holding her daughter’s delicate hands in hers. “Your power isn’t a curse. It was a gift you were blessed with, and it still is, forever and always. Cherish it, embrace it. Forget not, my child.” Elsa nodded. The queen smiled and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss against her daughter’s forehead.

“Should you feel scared or lonely, just look into this gem and think of me,” Idun said. “I will give you my love, so that you can stand on your own feet.”

“I will,” Elsa replied. “Thank you, Mother.”

“I have to go now,” Idun said, tucking a platinum strand of hair behind her eldest daughter’s ear. “Remember what I taught you, and you’ll be fine.”

Elsa nodded. “Be safe, Mother. May the winds bless your sail,” she said. “Come home soon. I’ll miss you, both of you.”

“And we will miss you, both you and your sister. I love you, Elsa,” Idun kissed her daughter one last time before heading toward the castle door where her husband was waiting for her. Elsa watched sadly as the ship carrying her parents fading into the distance, silently praying that it would return them home safely.

* * *

Summer was fading for the pensive and quiet autumn to take over the land of Arendelle; the blazing heat was being replaced by the tender coolness of the autumnal winds; the blue sky became a little gloomy grey, with clouds overlapping each other; the greenness of the leaves slowly turned into the rich colour of amber and scarlet. People could now feel a chill creeping into the air, not the bitter bites of winter blusters, but a gentle nip on the skin just to announce that the season was at hand. As nature was starting to prepare to huddle up in a deep slumber until awaken in the bloom of spring, people, with the harvest nearing, were busy filling their stocks to prepare for another winter awaiting them in just a couple of months ahead. It was just another typical day in Arendelle, with people going on with their everyday work, ships coming in and out the harbour to trade goods and ice harvesters setting on their trips to the northern mountains. Despite the fact that it had just gone through a harsh winter accidentally created by the unintentional release of the queen’s magic, the kingdom not only managed to stand still on its feet, but also flourishing so fast that people had started to wonder if their queen’s power was to wield ice and snow only.

The Great Thaw was over and the land had been thawed. The secret about Queen Elsa’s magical ability was no longer a secret amongst the people of Arendelle and also around the world, though it was positive that people might have added a little more colour to the story as words spread further across the land and sea. And that led to various rumours about the newly crowned sovereign queen of Arendelle, which were ridiculously highly exaggerated and untrue. They praised her as the Goddess of Winter descended on earth and said that she could freeze a man with a single glance of her icy eyes; some other still doubted her goodness and feared her as a monster, a sorceress of ice and snow, a threat. However, rumours are rumours; not all of them were true, and not all believed them. Some were inquisitive and curious enough to travel all the way here to Arendelle to seek the answer to confirm or deny those rumours about the Ice Queen, but unfortunately, none of them were granted what they sought.

Elsa chuckled lightly. How the curiosity of a man could lead him to. Many people had come to meet her just to indulge their curiosity about her powers, but she turned them all down, refusing to reveal anything aside from the fact that she could summon ice and snow and craft life from them. As her father, the late King Agdar of Arendelle, had said, it was unwise to wash your dirty linen in public, especially a ruler. The queen of Arendelle may be young, but she wasn’t naïve and foolish enough to reveal the secrets of her powers to random strangers, let alone her enemy. She simply established enough of her powers just to let the world know she bore no ill-will and was no threat to them. All she wanted was to maintain peace in her kingdom, and the last thing she wanted was to cause any harm to anyone. Twenty-five years ago, nearly four years before Elsa was born, King Harald of Arendelle, her grandfather, had started a war between their kingdom and another realm in the north called Incendous. It was a neighbouring kingdom to the north of Arendelle, well-known with a great source of coal and oil, a little larger than Arendelle, mostly covered with mountains and valleys. That was also why Harald had arranged a marriage between her parents, to ensure an alliance with Corona in that war. It lasted for more than twelve years until King Harald passed and had left countless damage for both kingdom, but Incendous suffered the most. Elsa had heard of what her grandfather had done. His army had slaughtered every member of the royal family, destroyed a village in the north and killed every single one in it, and caused the death of thousands of people. The war had concluded with a peace treaty between Arendelle and Incendous, but it had created a large drift between the two realms. Her father had done his best to maintain the relations with Incendous, but there were still hatred and resentment lingering in the Incendian people’s mind like a smouldering flame.

The young queen of Arendelle sighed heavily as she thought of the history of her kingdom. Elsa was now standing in front of the window in her study with her delicate hands placed on the windowsill, her sapphire blue eyes set firmly on the sight of her kingdom. The daylight streaming through the translucent glass seemed to make her platinum blonde hair shimmer and her porcelain skin glow. She had only reign for a little over a month, and she’d already felt the weight of the crown placed on her head. To rule a kingdom, especially a prosperous and powerful one as Arendelle, was a difficult task not everyone could take and was worth to take it, she had learnt since at a young age, but it wasn’t until now she’d really come to understand it. Now, not only she had to fix the mistake she’d done no less than two months ago – the Eternal Winter she cast upon the land – Elsa had to pay for her grandfather’s sins. She couldn’t understand how Hans Westerguard, the former prince of the Southern Isles who attempted to murder her and her sister to usurp the throne, had wanted so desperately to wear a crown on his head. To her, it was nothing but a meaningless piece of jewel burdening her with great responsibilities she never desired. But, regardless, it was still her responsibility, for it had been passed on her by her father, so the young queen kept reminding herself that she’d better take it seriously and do the best she could for her kingdom and her people.

Too preoccupied with her thoughts, Elsa did not notice the frantic knocks on the door to her study, and she didn’t turn until the heavy wooden piece burst open and a familiar figure with strawberry blonde hair bounced into the room. Elsa smiled brightly at her sister Anna, her ever so energetic and chirpy little sister, who was only about three years her junior and could be considered as a young woman, yet still acted as a child. Her enthusiasm and optimist had always been the soul of the castle and could light up the darkest day. Elsa wondered what life would be like without her. She could never stop regretting shutting her younger sister out for the whole thirteen years, but she was happy that the two of them were back as they used to be before – two inseparable friends.

“Good morning, Elsa!” Anna beamed happily, skidding toward her older sister, almost knocking over Elsa’s desk. The queen laughed at her sister’s clumsiness.

“Hello, Anna,” she said softly. “Be careful not to trip over my desk again, Anna.”

“Hey, it was the desk’s fault it’s there,” Anna retorted with a playful grin on her face. Elsa rolled her eyes.

“I thought you were supposed to be with Kristoff,” she said.

“Well, yes, but I was only with him for a little while to say goodbye. He departed this morning for another trip to the mountains and won’t return until two days later,” Anna bit her bottom lip sadly at the thought of being apart from Kristoff. Since after the Great Thaw, the ice harvester had been staying in the royal castle with the two Henriksen sisters. He was quite reluctant, but Elsa had stated firmly that she and Anna were indebted to him and since he was the Royal Ice Master and Deliverer, she needed to keep him close so that he could keep her regularly updated on the current state of Arendelle’s ice business. That business had been kept up for longer than anyone could remember, but that title was indeed a new thing. It wasn’t even a real title, actually, simply something Elsa made up so that Kristoff could court Anna without any protest against them, because she wasn’t blind enough that she couldn’t be able to acknowledge the two’s feelings toward each other. However, she later found it quite convenient to have someone controlling the ice business. Kristoff may be a little simple-minded because he was raised in a rather rare way, by the trolls in the West Lands, actually, but he had proven to have great experience with ice business and could manage it well. And Elsa had to admit that she had grown fond of the younger man, loved him as a brother she never had, even. He was kind, gentle and genuine, and most of all, he loved Anna and would do everything for her to make her happy. Elsa couldn’t help but feel happy as she watched their relationship grow day by day, their love blossoming slowly but steadily, promising something much greater in the future. But it nearly broke her heart to see her sister sad. She knew Anna would miss Kristoff and his absence was disturbing her.

Elsa smiled softly and gently laid her hand on Anna’s shoulder. “You know he’ll return to you. I know you’re worried about him, but he will be just fine. Kristoff is a big guy. He can take care of himself.”

“I know,” Anna sighed. “But I’ll miss him terribly. It’s not the first time he went away. It’s his work, I understand, but somehow I can’t help but to wish desperately for him to return to me as soon as possible. Is it normal to feel that way, Elsa? Am I too selfish that I would rather keep my love from his work so that he could be with me? Ice is his life, Elsa!”

“Anna. First of all, you are not selfish. Do tell me, little sister. Does any selfish person volunteer to go confront with her sister and bring back summer to a land cursed with a magical winter, while she knows it is extremely dangerous to go? Does any selfish person throw herself in front of her sister who froze her heart and forced her to go through a slow and painful death just to save her from an execution blade? So tell me, Anna Idun Henriksen, is that selfish at all?”

“You’re still blaming yourself for that?” Anna asked.

“I haven’t finished, and that wasn’t a question,” Elsa said. “Anyway, ice might have been everything to Kristoff, because it was his livelihood. But now, it only plays a second fiddle to _you_. Anna, he loves you more than ice itself, meaning he loves you more than his own life. Of course he would understand how you feel, Anna, because I am more than certain he is feeling the same right now.”

“Seriously, after all these times, you’re still blaming yourself for freezing Arendelle and my heart over? Elsa, I thought we’ve gone through this conversation a hundred times before! Can you stop dwelling on the past and move onto the future? What did I keep telling you? It was all accident! And it was certainly _not_ your fault!” Anna said firmly.

Elsa rolled her eyes. “Anna, have you even been listening? I’m trying to playing the part of an older sister I was supposed to be in the past thirteen years here.”

“So you’re still blaming yourself for that!” Anna exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “It wasn’t your fault, Elsa. You were locked up inside your room, isolated from the whole world! It was Mother and Father who did it, not you.”

“Anna, please,” Elsa said softly. “Even when they were the ones who decided to separate us and keep me in, it wasn’t entirely their fault. I cannot deny that it wasn’t a very good solution, just see how it turn out, but they only did that because they thought it was the right thing. They made a mistake because they were scared, because they feared for our safety. People do that every time when they’re scared, right? Their minds are clouded and they can’t think clearly. But know it that they did it out of love, Anna. Don’t be so harsh to judge them.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Anna mumbled.

“I don’t blame you,” Elsa shook her head. “I understand why you would say that, and I’m sure it was only a slip of tongue whilst you were not thinking clearly. But don’t blame our parents for what happened. Just so you know. They had always been so kind to me, especially Mother. She always kept me company and was there to help me whenever I was in trouble.”

“Yeah, Mother and Father were there for me, too,” Anna said quietly. Elsa smiled, her hand reaching to rest on her chest where the necklace her mother had given her before she departed and never returned from that fateful voyage. Even through the fabric of her dress, she could still feel a mild coldness as she touched the gemstone. It was strange that whenever her fingers contacted with the crystal blue gem, she could feel it cold to the touch, even in the heat of summer. Perhaps it was an effect of her cold skin on it. But every time she saw or touched it, her mind wandered back to her deceased mother. A tear formed in her eyes as she remembered that day. Their parents were supposed to stay, because her birthday was only a few days later, but it was an urgent business. Elsa had let them go, urged them even, for she knew clearly it was important to the kingdom, but now she wished she hadn’t been that good girl and begged her parents to stay. Maybe she could be seen as a spoiled brat, but at least her parents’ lives were saved. But what had been done was done, their fate had been decided and there was nothing she could do to change that. But her heart ached at every thought, every memory of them, especially her mother. If only she could see her right now, as the strong woman she’d become, not the frightened little girl she was before.

“But are you still going to blame yourself for all that happened, Elsa?” her sister’s watery voice that seemed to fill with a hint of fear pulled the young queen from her private thoughts. Elsa rubbed her forehead with her fingertips then exhaled a deep sigh.

“Alright, alright, I’ll admit that I’m still feeling guilty about it. I can’t help it. I can’t forget about the past, Anna, but I can assure you that I am trying my best to leave it behind and move forward,” she held her sister’s warm hands tightly in hers, looking into Anna’s teal blue eyes. “However, I am trying to make up for what I’ve done to you. I know that you have forgiven me, which I am more than grateful that you have, but please. Let me make it up for you, for the time we’ve lost.”

“Well,” Anna bit her lip. “You do owe me a favour.”

“Yes? What is it you want?” Elsa asked, smiling.

“Wait, aren’t you supposed to attend a meeting with the council right now? I thought you had one this morning,” Anna’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Not anymore,” Elsa shook her head. “Apparently it was cancelled, which is much to my delight. It’s been quite stressed lately, with the harvest coming and all. The king of Incendous would come in about less than a week. He missed my coronation and wasn’t able to come until now. I hope I can fix what Grandfather has done.”

“Don’t force too much upon yourself, Elsa. It’s not like they would blame you or me about the sins of our grandfather. I have to admit that our army had nearly destroyed Incendous, but it’s not like you started the war. I think they’ll understand. Besides, you’re a great queen. Reforming a long lost alliance isn’t anything you can’t handle,” Anna beamed.

“Anna, it’s more complicated than you think.”

“Oh, don’t just worry too much, would you? You don’t really get a day off very often, you know. So go and spend some time for yourself and relax!”

Elsa chuckled lightly. “And here I thought I was the one to take care of the other.”

“You just did, and it’s time for us to swap our roles. You’ve been caring for me for the past two months, Elsa. Let me return the favour this time. And you just said you owed me one.”

“I’m free for today. So name it, little sister, everything you want to do.”

A broad grin tugged at the corners of the princess’s lips as her eyes immediately lit up in excitement.

“Do you want to build a snowman?”

Elsa smiled mischievously. “The ballroom is empty.” And it was the only respond Anna needed before she tugged at her older sister’s hand then the two raced to the ballroom downstairs, where a performance of magic would be displayed, blanketing the grand chamber in a winter wonderland in the middle of autumn. The two sisters would be tangled in the middle of a mix of snow, flurry, fun and mischief, engaging in snowball fights, gliding on the clear ice and building snowmen like they used to do. Now, Elsa no longer feared of using her powers in front and with Anna anymore. She no longer feared them as a curse or look at them in disgust. She had known better now, for it wasn’t a curse.

It was a gift to be cherished.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two Henriksen sisters who were enjoying their moments together in happiness and joy, somewhere far away from Arendelle, in a dark room dimmed by the orange light of the smouldering fire in the hearth, a young man sat in a chair, eyeing the four people standing in front of him. He could not make out their feature in the darkness of the room, but he could see the fire reflected in their eyes, making their irises seem like it was ignited by the flame. He could see two glowing blood red gemstones that, too, seemed to burn with fire hanging on the necks of the two people in the middle, a man and a woman. A shiver slithered down his spine, but he managed to maintain his composed posture. He wondered why, though, he hadn’t been tied up or locked in a cold cell.

“What do you want from me?” he asked coldly.

“Simple,” the woman in the middle spoke. “We offer you partnership, but we also expect us to give something in return.”

“We understand that you have a rather… not very good history with the two Henriksen sisters of the Arendellian royal family, correct?” the man next to her said. The young man in the chair balled his fists and clenched his fists, eyes smouldered with anger at the mention of the two most unpleasant people he had crossed path. “I know what you want and how you’ve tried to achieve your goals. But it didn’t turn out very successive, did it? I know the punishment you’ve received, and that you blame the queen and princess of Arendelle for this. I know what you want right now – revenge.”

“I no longer desire to have anything to do with Elsa and Anna anymore,” the young man growled.

“You said so, but your eyes spoke otherwise,” the other man said.

“That is why we will offer you a deal,” the old, slender man standing next to him spoke for the first time. Now that the young man noted, the fourth person had been silence from the beginning of their conversation. He took a guess that this man could be a guard or something.

“What deal?” the young man asked, flicking his gaze toward the three other people.

“We will offer you help to get your revenge and to have what you always desired – a crown, a throne,” the woman said. “We will help you take over Arendelle, but in return…”

“Make sure the Henriksen line is ended,” the old man on the right finished for the woman. Then the man in the middle explained shortly the plan to the young man. He thought for a moment then nodded slowly. It was a perfect plan which he would get the most benefit, but he frowned. What truly were these people’s intentions? Was this some kind of trap set up for him?

“Why are you offering me this?” the young man asked. “We barely know each other. Why suddenly approach me with such large offer? You offer to aid me in usurping the throne of Arendelle, help me be the king, but only ask me to end the Henriksen line, which I would intend to do anyway.”

“And that is why we asked you to kill them,” the old man said.

“But why do you want to help me?”

“Because,” the man in the middle said, “We all want the same thing. And that is revenge upon the family of Arendelle.”


	3. Arrival From The South

The sea was rolling underneath the ship, calm, quiet and clear, its surface sparkling in the bright gold and orange rays of the breaking dawn, cresting waves spraying against the railing of the ship as it confidently slipped through the salty water, its sails filled out, caught up in the wind. From the tallest mast of the ship, a purple flag bearing a golden sun was fluttering in the early morning breeze.

A man stood at the prow of the ship, his hands rested on the railing, teal blue eyes gazing at the far distance. He listened to the quiet, soothing hum of the sea wind, feeling its salty breath on his skin and letting it tousle his greying hair. The King of Corona was no longer youthful and energetic as he used to be – those days were long gone – but he still loved the sea with an unceasing fervour as he always did; he loved the feel of the wind whipping against his face as the ship glided through the waves at full speed, or simply just a soft caress of an ocean breeze with a hint of saltiness carrying from the sea.

Corona was a land always filled with sunlight, joy, happiness and light. It was a country of peacefulness and harmony. The Coronan forests and mountains were beautiful, but he had always preferred the sea. It made him feel free. When he was still the Crown Prince of Corona, he would occasionally accompany his uncle, the Admiral, on his trips, and being on a ship was a blessing to the young prince.

Alfonse Gregory Siegel was an adventurous man, but he was nothing compared to his younger sister. If anything, the Princess of Corona was a ball of endless energy, extreme awkwardness and clumsiness, and a heart full of enthusiasm, love and joy. He remembered everything about her, his late sister. She was absolutely lovely and beautiful, with chestnut brown hair and gorgeous teal blue eyes as tender and soothing as the sea water. The name Idun suited her perfectly. Eternal youth, that’s what its meaning is. In his little sister, he saw nothing but a forever young and energetic soul.

They were so close, probably closer than any brother and sister could be that they became inseparable. Wherever he went, she followed like a shadow, bringing him happiness and joy, perhaps causing a little trouble on her way, but that was who she was and he loved it and wouldn’t trade it for the world. She seemed to share his love of the sea. Every trip he went, she came along. Even when he was married, she continued to be his shadow, tailing him almost everywhere. His wife had understood and accepted it, of course. Primrose had been Idun’s friend even before she fell in love with him and married him, and besides, the close bond between their prince and princess was nothing unknown to the kingdom of Corona.

They never seemed to leave each other’s side, but so they thought.

Twenty-two years ago, war broke out between the kingdom of Arendelle and Incendous. Arendelle needed help to ensure their win, and at the mean time, Corona was in need of a strong alliance. An arranged marriage between Crown Prince Agdar of Arendelle and Princess Idun of Corona was set. Alfonse was the one to react poorly. The young prince would not see his beloved sister being married off to a man she knew anything about, to be sold like a valuable cargo and used as a tool for some ridiculous political reasons. He wanted his sister to be happy and choose her own fate. He wanted her to marry the one she loved like he did. But Idun, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm when she received the news. She had accepted the proposal without a second thought. Alfonse was furious. He had met her privately in her chambers and yelled at her. At first she didn’t say a word, simply listening to her brother and watching his fury. But then she broke down and wept inconsolably, and he felt all his anger melting away. They stayed with each other throughout the night, consoling and comforting each other like they always did when they were kids.

The day he returned to Corona after her wedding in Arendelle was a sad day in his life. It was the last day he ever saw the girl that was his cheerful and awkward sister. He had hugged her close to him until she was crushed in his tight embrace, stroked her hair until it became messy and tousled, and kissed her cheeks so much that they became red. He had wished her the best, made her promise him that she would be happy, said goodbye to her then left, returned to his home. Alfonse never thought it was goodbye forever.

Shortly after he returned, his father, the King of Corona, passed away. Then he heard the news of his sister, now Princess Idun of Arendelle, being held captivity in Incendous. The young king Alfonse must cope with everything going on. As much desperately as he wanted to go search for his sister and bring her back, he could not abandon his duties with the country and his wife, who was heavily pregnant and terribly ill. Primrose was due on any day now and her life was on the verge of death; so he had to put his faith on the Arendellian search parties and waited, praying the Gods that his sister would return safely. After three long months of anxiously waiting and praying, he was rejoiced to hear that Idun had been rescued, and much to his surprise and delight, it was discovered that she was with child. It was both thrilling and exciting knowing that he would soon to be an uncle.

But the tragedy descended upon his family when his one-month-old daughter was kidnapped only a week after Idun’s return. He had received letters of condolences and encouragements from Idun, but he was too upset, too overwhelmed with sadness and desperation to seek for his lost daughter that his sister hardly crossed his mind. The letters became less frequent and eventually stopped coming, and he understood; his sister had a family of her own to take care of now. Then the searches for his lost daughter stopped, as everyone had no hope that she could be found. Alfonse moved on and continued his duties as king, but he was never the same jovial and adventurous man he was before anymore.

Despite that, he still cared dearly for his sister. He was too busy to visit her, but he’d heard words about her. They said that she was a picture of gracefulness and regality, which to him was hard to believe, but he guessed it was probably a mask she had to put on. She had two daughters, the eldest named Elsa and the second was Anna, the two only three years apart. Idun had sent him pictures of his nieces. Elsa only shared a few of her mother’s features, but Anna, on the other hand, was a perfect copy of Idun, her appearance and her spirit. Elsa had her mother’s round face and graceful ears, and little Anna looked exactly like her mother in every way when she was her age, save for the strawberry blonde hair she inherited from her father. Alfonse never got a chance to meet the girl in person, but he could tell from the playfulness and chirpiness in her eyes and smile already proved that she carried her mother’s spirit in her.

Regardless of how they looked, Alfonse loved both of them and yearned to finally come to Arendelle to meet his nieces, and above all, their mother – his sister.

But the day he dreamt to be reunited with Idun never came. Suddenly, news arrived to the shores of Corona that the kingdom of Arendelle had closed its gates, isolating itself from the rest of the world, along with a letter from his beloved sister addressed personally to him. She told him she loved him, and not to come and see her ever again. For his sake, she had said.

He never saw her again. For years, they were separated, and he did not know how she was doing. Was she happy? Did she miss him? What had he ever done that made her not want to see him again? For years, he heard no words about his sister and her family. Four years after Arendelle closed its gates, King Harald died. Prince Agdar was to be crowned, and Idun would become the Queen Consort. They opened the gates only for one day. Corona was, of course, invited to the new king’s conoration, but again, Alfonse received a letter from Idun begging him to promise not to come. For his sake, she said again.

A few years later, his long lost daughter came home and was to get married, surprisingly to a former thief. It was quite scandalous, but he and his wife were happy for her that she had returned home and found the love of her life. The man, despite being a criminal, was a good man and cared deeply about the girl, and it was all Alfonse needed. He had insisted that his sister Idun and her family came to the wedding. She had agreed, but only her and her husband would go; their daughters would remain in Arendelle. Alfonse was excited and anxious for the arrival of the sister he loved dearly and hadn’t seen in years. He constantly stared out the harbour, searching for the sign of the ship bearing the flag of Arendelle. But it never came.

Alfonse felt his world crumbling when he heard of his sister’s death. He mourned for her for months, perhaps even years. He’d come to the funeral. He had knelt in front of her grave and repeated his apology a thousand times or more, not caring if she heard his words or not – he just had to say it. He should never have listened to her to stay away, or to shut her out. He shouldn’t have let her go in the first place. Now he had lost her forever.

That had been three years ago, and now, every time he thought of Idun, his heart still ached as if someone had pierced a knife through it.

He came to Arendelle again, not to give his sister away to her betrothed, not to go to her funeral or to mourn for her. He would love to spend some time to pay respect to Idun, but this time he had different purpose.

He wanted to meet his nieces.

Alfonse had met the young princess Anna once at her parents’ funeral. It wasn’t a very pleasant circumstance to meet your relatives, especially when they were heartbroken with the death of their family members and mourning inconsolably, but Alfonse was there to support the girl as much as he could. Anna was a little shy to open up to him, but when she did, she quickly learned to love her uncle and he had loved her. She reminded him so much of his sister, her smile, her laugh, especially her spirit. The two of them had got a long well – very well, actually. In such short amount of time, a strong bond had been formed between uncle and niece, and it had helped the pain of the loss of their dearest family members to ease somewhat. It had been quite hard for them to part when Alfonse had to return to Corona. Oh, how he had missed that girl!

But, as for Anna’s older sister, Elsa, Alfonse didn’t even catch a glimpse of the Henriksen’s eldest daughter at her parents’ funeral, nor did he see any picture of her save for a few portraits of her and Anna when they were young children. When he knocked on the door, she didn’t open it and let him in or come out to him, simply politely greeting him and apologising that she could not exit her room. He had questioned the staff, and they said the Crown Princess of Arendelle rarely stepped out of the sanctuary of her chambers, as the King and Queen had strictly ordered. Alfonse was surprised. He pried no more, but couldn’t help but feeling that there was something not right about this, and he wished that he could see the young girl. From the very few pictures of Elsa in her childhood, Alfonse could see that she was quite different from her sister and the rest of her family. While Idun’s hair was dark brown and Agdar’s and Anna’s were strawberry blonde, Elsa’s hair was platinum blonde, almost white. Her skin was pale like snow, her eyes instead of jade green like her father or teal blue like her mother, was an icy blue colour. She had her mother’s small frame and elegant ears, her father’s straight and regal posture, and there was something else in her eyes that he could not understand – it was completely different from her other family members, so strange yet somehow so familiar, like he’d seen somewhere before.

Alfonse understood now why Elsa was isolated from the world, why Arendelle had closed its gates and why Idun had told him to stay away. He was utterly shocked when he discovered the truth when his daughter Rapunzel and her husband, Eugene, returned from Elsa’s coronation and informed him and his wife of what had happened during the event. So, in a nutshell, Elsa happened to be born with power of ice, and that was the reason why the Henriksens had kept themselves away from the world, to conceal their secret, then an accident forced Agdar and Idun to separate the two sisters and isolate Elsa in her room for thirteen years. In the night of her coronation, there was an argument between Elsa and Anna that caused Elsa to lash out her power in accident. She fled, and unintentionally left a frozen kingdom behind her. Anna ventured out to bring her sister back along with a man named Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and a snowman named Olaf which Elsa had created. Then the story continued with a strange adventure, a heart frozen by magic ice then thawed by love and the youngest Westerguard son, a prince of the Southern Isles, who tried to marry Anna and kill Elsa to usurp the throne. It was quite… eventful, but fortunately, everything was good now. Elsa resumed her position as Queen of Arendelle, accepted by her people. The two sisters were together again, and Arendelle had opened the gates to the world.

That was three months ago. Now, it was autumn, and Arendelle was hosting its annual Harvest Festival and the Autumn Ball – a ball held in honour of the late King Agdar and Queen Idun, taking place the concluding night of the festival, which was also the anniversary of their death. Thinking of this caused a sad frown to crease Alfonse’s brows, but he quickly dismissed it. He came to Arendelle this time to be reunited with Anna and to meet his other niece, Elsa. Hell, he even wanted to meet the ice harvester who managed to capture Anna’s heart, as Rapunzel had told him! He should be happy. This was something he had been looking forward to. And this time, he even brought the rest of his family along.

Alfonse inhaled deeply the fresh morning air and closed his eyes, relaxing his shoulders as another wind swept past him. He could hear the sounds of the crew working along the ship, they had all awoken by now, and the men were talking and laughing merrily while swabbing down the deck and seeing to the riggings on the ship. Regardless of the hard work, everyone seemed to be in the good mood this morning, because they would see the shore of Arendelle very soon.

The King of Corona smiled at the thought of them arriving in Arendelle in only a matter of time. He, of all people, was most eager and thrilled about this. And waiting seemed impossible for him now.

“Father?” a familiar voice spoke, causing Alfonse to awake from his thoughts. He turned around to the direction of the new party and felt his lips curling into a smile as he saw his daughter approaching with a bright grin on her face. She was a young woman in her early twenties with brunette hair that reached her shoulders and bright green eyes filled with enthusiasm. The Crown Princess of Corona, Rapunzel Fitzherbert, was very much a chirpy and energetic spirit like her deceased aunt. Her energy never drained, it would seem. No wonder she and her cousin Anna got along so well – birds of a feather. But then again, it was a characteristic that ran in the Siegel bloodline, and though Anna bore her father’s family name, it couldn’t be denied that she, too, was a member of the Coronan royal family, with her mother being the former crown princess.

“You are up so early,” Rapunzel commented, standing beside her father.

“Well, this morning is a lovely one. It would be a shame to miss such beauty,” Alfonse grinned.

But Princess Rapunzel knew her father all too well. Ever since her family was reunited, she had taken plenty of time to get to know her parents again. She and her father had become close friends – really close. She _would_ know when something was troubling him, and it seemed like something was. And she knew, she knew what was bothering him.

“You’re worried, aren’t you?” Rapunzel asked with a frown. “You shouldn’t be. You love Anna, and she loves you – you know she does. When I last visited, she talked about you a lot.”

“I know that it will be fine. We’re family, after all, and from what you’ve told me and what I’ve heard about them, Elsa and Anna seems to be very nice, so I doubt our meeting will not turn out good. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all. It’s been years since I’ve seen Anna and I’ve never met Elsa,” Alfonse replied with a deep sigh.

“I’m sure you’ll love her!” Rapunzel said happily. “She is wonderful. Well, she may seem a little quiet and reserved, and very serious and strict, but once you’ve got to know her, you’ll see that she is really kind, even a little mischievous. And stubborn – extremely stubborn,” she muttered the last words, but her father seemed to have heard her and barked a laugh.

“Yeah,” Rapunzel grinned, “That’s pretty much what I know about Elsa.”

“You only spent about two weeks there, and you seem to know them really well.”

“We did spend a lot of time together. Elsa tried her best to hang out with us, but she’s quite busy, so most of the time it was just me, Anna, Kristoff and Eugene.”

“Kristoff… is he the man you said to be courting Anna?”

“Yes. Kristoff Bjorgman, Arendelle’s Ice Master and Deliverer,” Rapunzel nodded her head with a smile, her green eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

”Ice Master and Deliverer?” the king raised his eyebrows. “I know that there is a group of men in Arendelle who harvest ice from the mountains in the north and sell it, but I have never heard of such position.”

“Well, since the ice business in Arendelle has been going quite well for the past years and it has been quite beneficial to the country’s economy, Elsa figured that she needed someone to help her manage it, and Kristoff seems to be very good in doing so. Besides, he needed to have a title to court Anna,” Rapunzel explained.

“Ah, I see,” Alfonse let out a chuckle. “That makes a lot of sense.”

“You’ll like Kristoff, too, I’m sure,” she said excitedly. “He, well, he has a rather… odd background, and he’s quite awkward and a little reserved when interacting with people, given that he didn’t have much experience with them aside from dealing with them in business. But, he is gentle, genuine and kind. And he clearly has a thing for ice. You should listen to how he talked about ice. It was like ice was his life, well, Anna excluded, of course. He loves her as if she is his world.”

“That’s good to hear. Let’s hope that he knows whose niece he is courting,” Alfonse said with half dark, half playful tone. Rapunzel giggled.

“Don’t scare the poor man or threaten him when you meet him, would you?” she chided lightly. “He won’t hurt Anna or let anyone hurt her, that I am certain.”

“So what about Elsa?” he asked.

“Elsa? Oh, at the time being, she’s content with having Kristoff, Anna and the kingdom by her side. She doesn’t have any intention to get married or fall in love with anyone yet. Give her time, Father. Besides, you’ll get to escort her and Anna down the aisle and be graced with grand nephews and nieces eventually, don’t worry.”

Father and daughter laughed happily. Alfonse looped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders and pulled her close. Rapunzel smiled brightly and leaned into him.

“So when are you planning to grace me and your mother with your and Eugene’s children? You two have been married for almost three years. It’s time you filled the castle with the sounds of little feet running around the castle. We want grandkids, you know,” he winked at her. Rapunzel blushed deep scarlet and let out a nervous laugh, untangling herself from her father’s arm.

“Well, heh, we’re still planning on that,” she said nervously.

“Relax, Rapunzel, I’m merely joking, but it never hurts to remind you. We’re getting old after all, your mother and I. But you shouldn’t worry so much. You’re still young, and there’s still plenty of time for children yet,” Alfonse grinned broadly at his daughter, and they both laughed softly.

A sharp gasp suddenly escaped Rapunzel. “Father, look!” she exclaimed, arms extended forward. Alfonse followed his daughter’s gaze and felt his eyes going wide, breath caught in his throat.

Far away, the sight of a land appeared on the horizon, and there was only one answer to what it was.

“Arendelle,” both of them said in unison.

* * *

The harvest had always been a busy time for the people in Arendelle. Everyone was in a hurry, everything was busy. The streets were filled with people hurrying on their way with their hands full of work to do, the sound of fallen leaves rustling underneath their steps. The Eternal Winter in the summer several months ago did not hit the crops hard, and thanks to the Gods high above, the fields didn’t yield a poor crop this year, and they would still have enough to live through the winter.

The Harvest Festival was only a little more than three days away, and everyone was excited about it. It was the time for people to celebrate the fruits of their hard work, to enjoy themselves and simply to take a break before the winter hit. The festival lasted for five days. Visitors from every corner of the world would come and join the people in the festivity. This year, however, there would be a slight change. At the conclusion night of the Harvest Festival, Arendelle would be hosting its first Autumn Ball held in honour of the late king and queen. Invitations had been sent, and the guests would be arriving very soon.

Princess Anna of Arendelle seemed to be unable to sit still, even for just a single moment. She would keep looking out the window to search for a particular ship bearing a vintage flag with a golden sun on it at the bay, and would whine and groan in frustration when she failed to see it.

Elsa sighed heavily and looked up from the parchment sent from another kingdom she had been reading. “Anna, dear, would you please keep quiet? I have to work. Why don’t you go and bother someone else?” she said softly. She knew exactly why Anna had been like this. Their relatives from Corona were due to arrive this morning, and there had been no sign of their ship yet. Anna had come to her office shortly after breakfast and she just wouldn’t let the queen work. It had been like this for nearly an hour, and Elsa felt like a long, agonising day had passed.

Anna didn’t seem to notice the hint of playfulness in her sister’s voice. She groaned in irritation and flopped down on her back on the couch in front of the empty fireplace in Elsa’s study.

“I can’t!” she said with a dramatic sigh.

“The sky’s awake, so I’m awake, so we have to play,” Elsa said playfully, rolling her eyes and trying to avoid her sister’s irritated gaze which she was sure was glued on her.

“Haha, very funny, Elsa.”

“So tell me, dear sister, why have you been sounding like the chocolate in the world has run out for the whole morning?”

“Wait, what? What happened to the chocolate?” Anna shrieked, bolting upright from the couch. Then her eyes widened in realisaton. “Oh, it was only a joke, was it?”

Elsa laughed, amused at her sister’s obsession about chocolate. She had no idea what power that brown sweets possessed, but it sure was enough to make Anna go crazy. Elsa had to admit that she liked chocolate herself, but thank goodness she wasn’t so obsessed with it like the princess.

“Right, of course it was a joke,” Anna mumbled. “Anyway, I couldn’t just go and bother Kristoff since he’s not back yet. He went to visit his fellow ice harvester who got a broken leg from an accident during their last trip to the northern mountains. Kai and Gerda are just too busy, and Olaf has wandered off with Sven to who-knows-where, so I’m here with you!” A bright grin appeared across the princess’s lips as she finished her explanation.

“So, just because you couldn’t find someone else to complain with about the delay of our relatives’ arrival, you chose to come and disturb me instead?” Elsa arched an eyebrow at her sister.

“Well, your office kind of has the best view to the docks,” Anna grinned sheepishly, her fingers unconsciously playing with her pigtails.

“So you thought it would be convenient to come here to look out the window for the whole morning in attempt to search for any sign of a Coronan ship?” Elsa folded her arms over her chest. Anna giggled nervously and nodded, her head bobbing up and down frantically.

“What am I ever going to do with you?” the queen mumbled, shaking her head in defeat.

“Uh… love me?”

“Anna!”

“Yes, Elsa?”

“Can you please be quiet for a moment and just let me work? If you want me to be able to spend time with you and our Coronan relatives today, you have to let me finish my work.”

“Of course, of course, I’ll leave you to your duties, _Majesty_ ,” Anna teased, lying back down on the couch.

“And you, _Highness_ , if you would please sit still and let this poor sister of yours be, then she would be very grateful,” Elsa turned back to the parchment she had been reading, but couldn’t keep the playful smirk from her face. Anna chuckled for a moment but then her smile dropped in to a frown.

_They’re supposed to arrive by now. What took them so long?_

She took an anxious glance toward the grandfather clock on the other side of the room and exhaled a deep sigh. She lay there, teal blue eyes staring at the ceiling and hands rested on her stomach while her legs were tossed over the armrest of the couch in a very unladylike way. Anna would occasionally glance at her sister who was hunched over her desk with a quill in her hand then shift her eyes back to the window, anxiety and worries rising in her abdomen.

_What if something bad happened?_

Anna shuddered as she recalled the memory of a dreadful morning three years ago. The storm had died down but the sky was still sombre and grey and the sounds of the waves never sounded so… scary, as if they were mourning for something. Anna had been skidding happily down the hallway when Kai, the castle’s steward, called her into a private room and informed her of her parents’ death. It had been the fiercest storm that had ever hit Arendelle. She could still remember seeing it from the windows of her room, see the wind ripping through the air and hear its screams; she could hear thunder roaring violently and lightning splitting the sky apart, could see the ocean stirring violently, waves like enormous black claws ready to swallow everything in their way. The sea that had always provided for them like a gentle mother was savage that night, and it had taken the King and Queen of Arendelle away, from their daughters, their people, their kingdom, and into the darkness of the bottom of the ocean where the lights could never reach them again.

Anna didn’t want this to happen again. She didn’t want the sea or anything to claim the lives of her loved ones again. She had lost her parents, and she most certainly did not want to lose her aunt, uncle and her cousins. She felt like someone had violently snatched a part of her world from her when her parents died, and she did not want the remaining of it to crumble or shatter into pieces because of the tragic deaths of her other families – especially Elsa, her sister Elsa, who she loved so, _so_ dearly!

But Anna knew she was overreacting and being ridiculous. There had been no storm for the past few days. The sky had been nothing but bright and clear, and the sea was calm, quiet and gentle. Uncle Alfonse, Aunt Primrose, Rapunzel and Eugene would be fine. Maybe they were just a little late. Besides, noon was more than a couple of hours away. There was nothing to be worry about, right?

Still, Anna couldn’t keep but feeling all nervous, anxious and all.

The Princess of Arendelle groaned in frustration and sat up. “This is such agony!” she exclaimed, but quickly clamped her hands over her mouth, remembering that her sister was just mere metres across the room working.

Anna waited for Elsa to say something, to demand her to keep quiet to let her finish her work for the day, or even to shoo her out of the room. She wouldn’t be angry at Elsa if she did that to her. The queen had been under a lot of stress lately, having to cope with the consequences of the Eternal Winter and readying for the harvest, the festival, the ball and everything. She was not one to easily lose her temper, but in this time, she tends to lose it a lot, especially when she was stressed.

But instead of what she had been expecting, Anna felt a pair of cold but surprisingly comfortable and gentle wrapped around her and pulled her close against a cold body as a pair of lips pressed a soothing kiss against her temple. The princess’s eyes fluttered open as she turned to the side, only to meet with her sister’s loving cerulean blue eyes and warm smile.

“You’re not going to yell at me?” Anna asked quietly, feeling nervous like being caught stealing chocolate or cookies from the kitchen and meeting with Gerda’s stern look. The princess could still remember the times being caught by the head servant, and being punished afterwards was even worse.

“Of course not,” Elsa shook her head and smiled softly, sitting down beside her on the couch and taking Anna’s hand in her.

“I know that you’re worried, Anna. But they’ll come in any time soon.”

“I know. I’m just overreacting. I’m such a stupid girl, am I not? I keep worrying about nonsense and disturb you.”

“Oh, Anna, you are not stupid! Well, you’re a little naïve sometimes, but definitely not stupid, for your heart is pure and innocent, and because of it is full of love and care for people, especially those who are close to you, that you worry so much about their safety and well-being. And that, my dear, _dear_ little sister, is what I love most about you. Never change, Anna, never change.”

“Thanks, Elsa,” Anna said with a smile and gave her sister a warm, loving hug, which Elsa happily returned.

“Besides,” the queen said, leaning back slightly, smirking mischievously, “I can use that against you sometimes, especially when Kristoff is off to an ice harvesting trip to the mountains. It makes teasing you much easier and more fun.”

“You’re horrible!” Anna smacked her sister playfully on her upper arm.

“And you love me,” Elsa said, laughing. Ever since the end of the Eternal Winter, the two sisters had started to get to know each other again, and to Anna’s surprise, Elsa wasn’t completely the forever graceful, regal and perfectly poised as she thought to be. It was merely a mask Elsa had to put on when playing the role of the sovereign of Arendelle, and she had done an excellent job concealing her true personality. Inside that perfect cover of a strict and regal queen was an intelligent, mischievous and stubborn woman who seemed to love her little sister as much as teasing her.

Still wearing a smile from the conversation with her sister, Elsa let her eyes wander around her study for a moment, then something from the window caught her eyes and made her snap her head toward it. Her smile widened.

“Well, would you look at that? Someone finally decided to come,” she said. Confused, Anna followed her sister’s gaze, and she gasped loudly at the sight of a Coronan ship heading straight toward the docks, the unmistakable purple sail fluttering in the wind.

“They’re here! Oh my God, they’re here!” the redhead exclaimed merrily and excitedly jumped off the couch. She took Elsa’s hands and pulled her sister to her feet while still bouncing on the floor in joy.

“Come on, Elsa, get up! We have to come to the docks to greet them! Come on, Elsa, come on! They’re here! Oh, they are finally here!” Anna squealed.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” Elsa laughed, smoothing the wrinkled fabric of her skirt.

“Race you to the docks!” Anna exclaimed then bolted out of the room.

“Hey! That’s cheating!” Elsa shouted, rushing after her sister.

* * *

“Ah, Arendelle,” Eugene exclaimed with a relieved sigh as he stepped on the docks. “Finally I can set foot on the solid ground again! I hate travelling by ships!”

“Oh, come on, Eugene. It’s not that bad,” Rapunzel giggled, stepping toward her poor husband’s side. Travelling by ships clearly did not affect the Coronan princess. In fact, she quite enjoyed it, probably taking after her father at that. But as for Eugene, well, the sea didn’t seem to show any mercy at him. Throughout the whole voyage, he spent most of the time either locked in his and his wife’s shared cabin, or at his favourite position – hovering over the railings of the ship and sending his meals into the ocean’s vast belly. Thus when they docked, the prince consort was so relieved that he had to try to fight the urge to jump off the ship and kiss the ground lovingly.

“To you, my dear, it could be fun,” Eugene said, his face still green, “But to me, I feel like my organs are rolling inside me like the waves.”

“You’ll have to get used to it, Fitzherbert, because this won’t be the last time. Oh, no, that would be very far from present, husband-of-mine,” she teased.

“Why did I marry you in the first place?” the former thief rolled his eyes.

“Why, Eugene, do you not remember? It’s because you love me, of course!” Rapunzel laughed.

Meanwhile, Alfonse and his wife Primrose had just walked down from the gangplank.

“Well, as much as I love sailing on the sea, it is good to be on land again,” the queen of Corona said, inhaling the fresh air.

“I would quite agree with you, Primrose,” Alfonse nodded then turned to his son-in-law to see the young man looking pale and exhausted. “Eugene, my boy, you look as if the life had been drained from you! You’d better get used to travelling at sea, because I’m telling you, this wouldn’t be the last time you went on a ship!”

“I already told him that,” Rapunzel chipped in while placing her hands on her husband’s arm to support his posture.

“Thanks for the advice, but please, leave this poor man of yours be, he really needs to rest now. And are you sure we’re on the ground? I think I feel something swaying under my feet,” Eugene said dizzily.

“Alright, you big baby,” Rapunzel patted his back gently as she would a horse in sympathy. “We’ll get you to the castle soon. Then you can get some rest. We need to unload our luggage first.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in relief which caused everyone else to laugh.

“So,” Rapunzel said, turning to her parents, “Did Elsa and Anna say they would meet us in the castle or here at the docks?”

“I believed they told us to meet them in the Great Hall of the castle,” Primrose said.

Rapunzel was about to say something but stopped as she recognised the all too familiar feminine voices, and they were getting louder and coming nearer toward this way every second. It was unmistakable who the owners of the voices, and it brought a happy grin to the Coronan princess’s face.

* * *

It wasn’t unknown to the people that their princess was an energetic and not-so-perfectly ladylike as her sister was, and it was understandable to see her running around the streets of Arendelle or shouting, but to see Queen Elsa doing the same things was something unexpected and quite shocking. The queen of Arendelle, in the citizens’ eyes, had always been a perfect picture of sophisticated grace. Of course, she would sometimes make it snow in the courtyard to let the children play, and she would join them if they beckoned her to, but still she maintained her gracefulness and regality. So seeing her running around in such an unladylike way had made everyone stop in their track and stare at her in shock.

Strings of laughter and giggles escaped the two Henriksen sisters as they raced toward the docks. There was no denying that Anna was having such a great time! It was like she and her sister were kids again, running around the castle and the city, striving to beat one another. Anna was surprised that Elsa was still so fast like that after thirteen years! She remembered losing to her older sister every race when they were children before the gates, but how could Elsa still be able to hold such strength and speed after thirteen years of barely stepping out of her room?

The queen of Arendelle gracefully skidded to a stop as she reached the dock and whirled around at her sister who just barely arrived with a triumphant smile.

“I win,” Elsa declared breathlessly.

Anna had to support herself against a column, her chest heaving with breathlessness. It wasn’t until moments later that she managed to say through frantic breaths. “How did you do that?”

“Do what, beat you?” Elsa asked with a playful smirk.

“No, running like that!” Anna exclaimed, eyes wide.

“Now, don’t seem all too surprised like that, little sister. It’s not like I never managed to beat you in a race before.”

“But that was more than thirteen years ago! How could you still do it?”

“Well, let’s just say that I’m strong as a mountain and fit like a fiddle,” Elsa laughed. “Come on, let’s go and greet our relatives. Where is their ship anyway?”

Anna looked around, searching for a Coronan ship between dozens of merchant vessels. “Over there!” she exclaimed happily as she saw it. Elsa seemed to have spotted the ship, too.

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go and see them,” Elsa said with an eager grin, trying to sound as calm as ever, despite being overexcited to see her aunt and uncle.

“Of course, of course, but _please_ , no more racing. I’m exhausted,” Anna said almost to the point of pleading as she walked behind her sister. The docks weren’t so far from the castle, and it wouldn’t burn out much of your energy to get there, but that was only when you _walk_ to it, not running. The princess was an active one, and she seemed never out of energy, but after all, she was only a girl.

The two sisters walked amongst the sea of people at the docks. Arendelle was usually busy save for the winters, being one of the most important port cities in the region, always full of people who were traders, visitors, merchants and hundreds of ships and vessels from other kingdoms coming to trade goods. And it just happened to be the busiest time of the year in Arendelle. People were everywhere in the streets. They would stop and bow to their queen and princess as they passed by. Some greeted them with a bright smile or a warm greeting. Some seemed to be hurrying on their ways that they only regarded them with a polite nod then returned to their own business. Regardless, the two royals returned every respectful gesture from their subjects. But, as much as they loved the people, it was getting more difficult to reach where the ship from Corona had docked, and the two were becoming a little impatient, especially Elsa.

She was nervous and excited at the same time. Anna had told her countless times about their uncle, and Elsa was under the impression that he was pretty much a kind, gentle and jovial person like their late mother. It just made her want to see him more. But she was also nervous? Why? Because three years ago, the day of her parents’ funeral, when he came and knocked to her door, asking her if she wanted to come, she said no. And when he returned after the funeral, offering love and comfort, she once again refused, almost harshly. Would he even want to see her again? Would he love her, or at least like her? What would her uncle react if he saw her power? Of course her cousin Rapunzel must have told him about it right the moment after she set foot on Corona’s shore again, but she wasn’t sure about how he had taken the news. And then there was her aunt. She had heard about Queen Primrose many times from her mother. The queen consort of Corona had been her mother’s close friend since at a young age, so she wouldn’t worry much about meeting her, but her uncle, well… that would be a problem, considering how she treated him the last time.

_But he would understand, wouldn’t he? After all, aren’t we family, and didn’t Mother say he was the one to teach her family is foremost?_

Hundreds of questions swarmed in the young queen’s head, and she had unconsciously started pushing past people and picking up her pace. She was desperate to reach her destination, her eyes never leaving the purple flag with a golden sun standing atop the tallest mast of the largest ship at the harbour. And when she saw two familiar faces of a brunette woman with green eyes and a man with brown hair, she shouted their names and rushed at full speed toward them, ignoring the calls of her sister who was trying to keep up with her.

“Elsa!” Rapunzel waved at her when she saw her cousin running toward them. Laughter escaped both women as they threw their arms around each other, both enveloped in a bone-crushing embrace.

“You’re here!” Elsa exclaimed happily.

“Of course we are!” Rapunzel squealed. Elsa laughed and hugged her cousin again. But when she looked up, her eyes widened as they were met with the teal blue ones of a man with chestnut brown hair and beard that had partly turned grey, his eyes the same colour as her mother's and sister’s, and were as wide as her own.

“Elsa?” he asked, his voice quivering. The young queen slowly untangled herself from Rapunzel’s arms, wide eyes still locked with him and her lips trembling as she struggled to form words.

“Uncle?” she said. Then, as if there was a magnetic force between them, uncle and niece both came together in a crushing hug in an almost blinding speed.

“Uncle Alfonse! You came!” Elsa sobbed into his shoulders. Now, everything she felt before, the nervousness, the anxiety, the fears, they all vanished, and the only thing she felt now was an overwhelming happiness.

Alfonse seemed to be feeling the same. He let out a few choked laughs before leaning back to look at his niece, his hand cradling her face and his thumbs brushing the tears on her cheeks. It wasn’t until now that he was able to take in her looks. She was a slender, petite woman like her mother was, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulders. Her hair was platinum blonde and was let loose, held by two small braids beginning from her temples and connecting at the back of her head, her long locks cascading until her slim waistline. Her skin was pale, almost white like snow, and her eyes shone the colour of crystal blue. A smile cracked at his lips as he saw her little ears and elegant chin – just like her mother’s.

“Finally I’ve got to meet you, my dear Elsa!” he said. “My, my, you are such a beautiful young lady, child, just like how Idun used to be when she was your age!”

A blushed crept up Elsa’s cheeks and a grin tugged at her lips. She beamed brightly at her uncle. “It’s wonderful to see you, too! I can’t even find appropriate words to describe how I feel right now! I’ve been yearning to meet you all this time!” A gasp suddenly escaped her lips and she tore herself away from her uncle’s embrace. “Wait, Anna! I left her behind! Where is she?”

Unknown to both Elsa and her uncle Alfonse, Anna had arrived a little after Elsa did and had been standing watching the scene by Rapunzel and Eugene’s side all the time. “You know, it’s a little late to care about that now, dear sister of mine. And I’ve been here for quite a moment you know. But thanks for worrying about me anyway,” the princess of Arendelle said with a roll of her eyes, arms folded firmly over her chest.

“Heh, sorry about that, Anna,” Elsa said sheepishly.

“Ah, Anna,” Alfonse exclaimed, extending his arms toward the redhead, and she quickly fell into his embrace.

“Hello, Uncle!” Anna giggled. “Uncle!” she chided lightly as he tousled her hair a bit. “It took me full half an hour to keep it in place!”

“Crazy bed-head, huh, Anna?” the king of Corona winked playfully. He barked a laugh as the young princess blushed furiously and scrunched her nose in annoyance at him. “Oh, no need to be angry at this old man, my dear girl! Your mother used to be just the same. Anyway, how rude of me!” He turned toward his wife, who had been lovingly watching the family.

“Aunt Primrose!” both girl exclaimed excitedly and lunged at their aunt before their uncle could have a chance to introduce her to them.

“Well, they’re their mother’s daughters,” he shrugged. Primrose laughed and kissed both girls on their foreheads.

“It’s so great to meet you both! Rapunzel has told us many things about you!” she smiled warmly.

“Our Mother had told us countless stories about you, too,” Anna chirped. “She said you two were best friends!”

“Indeed we were, just like you two are,” Primrose’s eyes lit up at the mention of her late friend.

“Um, guys?” Rapunzel chipped in. “As much as I’d love to watch this family reunion, I really think we should leave it later until we’ve reached the castle, and we’d better go there fast, because Eugene here is exhausted from our trip.”

“One word, girls: seasick,” the former thief said.

“Eugene!” Anna gasped. “Oh, you poor guy, you look as if you have no life left in you!”

“Yeah, I think it has left me minutes before, Ginger,” Eugene replied tiredly.

“Come on, let’s get back to the castle,” Elsa suggested. “I’ll have the servants bring your luggage up to your rooms – we’ve arranged two for you in the family wings. I think Eugene wouldn’t last a minute more if we don’t hurry up.”

“I would very much agree with you, Frostbite,” Eugene said. Everyone laughed, and the family began to walk back to the castle of Arendelle.


	4. An Unexpected Encounter

It was a tranquill and calm night, the only sounds could be heard was the scratching of the tip of her quill as she scribbled on the paper and the quiet ruslting wind out side her opened window, contrary to what had been a remarkably exciting and eventful day earlier, before the sun sank back into its sanctuary in the secluded mountains. Elsa stopped writing and looked up from her desk. Outside, the kingdom was fast asleep within the embrace of the night and the gentle lull of the winds, blanketed by a sheer layer of fog. The mountains had retreated back into the thick layers of clouds. And ships and vessels docked at the fjord, too, had retired for the night. The corners of her lips lifted up in a smile as she thought how funny it was that the distance could make something so large and so great, so powerful become something so small and tiny.

The day had been wonderful, much more than she had expected it would be. Elsa had come to know Rapunzel and her husband Eugene quite well during their stay after the Eternal Winter. Rapunzel, much like Anna, was a lively and cheerful young woman, always full of energy – which was probably a trait that ran strongly in her mother’s bloodline. She reminded her strongly of her mother. And Eugene, whom she had learned to be a former thief, appeared to be quite arrogant and smug at first, but in fact, Elsa and Anna had discovered that he was such a sweet-hearted and loving person – though the two never admitted and he tried his best not to show it – and had considered him as a brotherly figure. It was good to see them again; their company had been most enjoyable.

And Elsa couldn’t even find an appropriate word to adequately describe her happiness and excitement to meet her aunt and uncle – whom her mother had mentioned so many times before – for the first time. Of course Elsa had caught a brief glimpse of Uncle Alfonse at her parents’ funeral and had exchanged a few words before, but they were said through closed solid, wooden door, and she was nothing but cold and distant toward him. Now that they had got to know each other better, Elsa realised that, despite his strict and formal appearance, her uncle was a loving and caring man, quite playful, even. She had spent almost the whole day with him, uncle and niece bonding with one another. She had asked him to tell her about her mother and the adventures she had shared with him during their childhood in Corona. He agreed without hesitance, and she had listened to him keenly, laughing and giggling at his stories like a little girl whenever they reached the hilarious moments, and even begged him for more. Alfonse had chuckled lovingly at her, stroking her hair and told her, “You are truly your mother’s daughter, you know that, Elsa?” A smile had crept up the corners of her lips upon hearing him saying that, and the young queen had envenloped her uncle in a tight hug, feeling herself no longer a monarch nor a woman, but a child in the arms of her dear uncle.

Whilst Elsa and Uncle Alfonse got to know each other, Anna decided to whisk her aunt away and show the Coronan queen the capital city of Arendelle, the two having some women’s time and girl talk. Well, Anna did most of the talking, actually, being the talkative and energetic young woman she was, and she may have rambled about why the capital city of Arendelle was also named Arendelle for approximately half an hour. But, surprisingly, Aunt Primrose did not find it annoying or irritating at all. Instead, she thought it was adorable and quite amusing. Perhaps she had got used to it, since sometimes Rapunzel would lost herself in little rants of her own, or perhaps it reminded her of a dear friend and sister-in-law she would never have a chance to see again. She listened carefully to the redheaded young woman as she went on and on about random things with and watched in amusement and adoration as Anna practically jumped in excitement and squealed happily upon seeing something she liked in the marketplace. Primrose realised that both Henriksen girls were the spitting image of their mother, though Anna would seem to resemble her carefree spirit more, while her older sister Elsa inherited all of Idun’s grace and beauty.

Rapunzel and Eugene, figuring that their parents and cousins needed some time with each other to make amends for the lost years, decided to take their time roaming the corridors of the keep, exploring the meadows and strolling along the beach throughout the whole morning. But during the rest of the day, they had joined their family and enjoyed their time together with their loved ones. Kristoff had returned in the afternoon to join them. Alfonse nearly scared the poor man off at first, giving him warns and threats should he break Anna’s heart, but then, much to the ice harvester’s relief, the king of Corona had enveloped him with a hug and welcomed him warmly to the family. Primrose, unlike her husband, was gentler and warmer, kissing the young man on the cheek and accepting him with open arms. Her gestures were so motherly that it almost made Kristoff’s eyes tearing. The family spent the whole day with each other, sharing their stories to one another and making jokes just to add more fun to the joviality already hung in the air. The castle was once again filled with laughter and voices, the once lonely and cold walls seemingly regaining their liveliness again. Elsa and Anna couldn’t be happier. The day was perfect with their family by their sides. And it wasn’t until the late evening did they decide to bring their eventful day to an end and retire for the night, though everyone parted their ways quite unwillingly.

Unlike the others who had returned their chambers and let the bliss of slumber taking over them, Elsa had headed straight to her study. She still had a lot of work to finish. She had planned to finish them this morning before her relatives arrived, but having Anna distracting her didn’t help at all, and she had already spent the whole rest of the day hanging around with her family. With the annual harvest festival coming – which was the first festival Elsa would be attending for over thirteen years – she really wanted to be able to relax and mingle with the people in these festivities, but unfortunately, she was the queen of a country. Her kingdom must come foremost.  
But alas, whilst having the burden of the crown weighing her head, she was still a human tossed into a mess of politics and great responsibilities she never asked for, and though in the eyes of the world she was a perfect example of regal grace and poise, in truth she was merely a young woman forced to put on a stoic, perfect mask to please the public. Elsa already knew since at a young age that there would be responsibilities and expectations for her once the crown had been placed upon her head, but never in her life did she desire for it. She had once had a naïve thought that a life of a commoner would be much simpler and much easier, but eventually she had found that no life was easy, and fate had never been easy to anybody, irrespective of their ranks in the society.

Elsa continued to gaze out the window. For a good long moment, her mind battled, debating over an idea that could be considered crazy suddenly popping up in her mind. Should she just abandon her work here and go out there, into the night, to enjoy the beauty crafted by nature that would soon vanish in the matter of hours? Or should she stay here, burying her head in a pile of work which she could manage to handle tomorrow with the help of her sister, maybe her uncle and aunt, and waste such precious chance to mingle with nature just for this one night? It wasn’t like she hadn’t done this before in her life. She could still remember, though vaguely, the times she had spent running in the woods as a young child, and even when the gates were closed, there had been times she had snuck out of the castle, to escape that horrible prison that was her room, and in order to avoid the guards, the woods had been her best choice.

  
Finally, she nearly harshly tossed the quill on her desk and stood straight up with a deep sigh. Just for this once, she thought to herself, exiting her study and heading back to her room. Duties and responsibilities could definitely wait… right? You can’t be a perfect girl – no one is perfect.

After donning a new dress, which was much simpler and more comfortable, and draping a dark silk cloak over her shoulders, with the hood pulled over her head to conceal her identity, Elsa quickly slipped out of the room and into one of the secret passages hidden behind the castle walls. Anna was the one to have discovered these, and the girl had told her older sister during several of her visits to her door about the passages – that was why Elsa knew about what was hidden behind those walls. It had come in handy for many occasions when she wanted to ‘escape’ for a little bit, and after the end of the Eternal Winter, she had taken time to study more about her castle’s structure. Her ancestors were very wise to have the keep built with various secret passages and underground tunnels in case of emergencies, and they sure had not wasted their efforts at all. Every hidden way was linked to each other, and they only led to two directions: one led to the base of a mountain near the fjord, and one to the edge of the forest in the north of the castle. The latter was where Elsa was heading for.

  
It didn’t take too long for Elsa to finally reach her destination, and when she did, the young woman breathed out a relieved and content sigh. The forest was still as beautiful as she remembered, if not more. It was quiet and peaceful, almost to the point of silent; Elsa could even here her own breath and the faint, steady sounds of her heartbeat. Here and there, she could see a few trees no longer hold the verdant green that reign the forest for three months of summer in them anymore, but instead they were painted with the bright colours of scarlet, amber and orange, making them look as if they were torches flaming in the night.

The night was beautiful and irresistable. It reminded her of her childhood years before the gates were closed. The beauty of the forest at night reminded her of the strolls she used to have regularly with her parents and Anna in the castle’s garden, of the talks and laughter that once filled the place, of the little childish games she and her little sister had, in which sometimes her parents would also join in. The silence and stillness of the night suddenly reminded her of her father, of his expression that was usually stoic and regal, but never lacked the love of a father, a husband and a good king. And the caressing breeze of this autumn night especially reminded the young queen of her mother, her gentle and caring mother, of the lullabies she used to sing to her and her little sister. Every night was the same, the former queen of Arendelle would tuck her two girls into bed, lull them with songs the girls were all too familiar with, but never tired of hearing; their mother would then kiss them goodnight, telling them the three words ‘I love you’ that the two young princesses were so used to hearing, but could never get enough.

The clouds were slowly parting, revealing the vacant form of the autumn moon, a slim crescent glowing white in the inky night sky. Elsa’s hands unconsciously travelled to her neck, her slender fingers silently tracing the lines of her necklace that lay beneath the fabric of her dress. Tears brimmed in her eyes as her mind once again wandered back to the memories of her mother. Out of the two sisters, Elsa had been more close to their mother, and Anna had spent most of her time with their father, King Agdar, as they seemed to share quite much in common. It wasn’t like the elder held any grudges or hatred toward the former king for isolating her from the world. No, she loved her father more than words could describe, but also being her mentor, most of the time he remained strict and stoic. As for her mother, she was always gentle and forever so kind and so caring to her and her sister, her words and gestures always warm as the ray of sunlight in spring and gentle as the caressing breeze of a summer night.

Closing your eyes and inhaling a deep breath, the young woman allowed all the memories to swarm over her. She remembered one night, one particular night when her mother had sung to her a song whose melody she could never forget. That was the first night of her isolation, and her mother had come to her at night, despite that she had insisted her not to enter for fearing her power may lash out and hurt another person she loved. But the former queen had ignored the little princess’s pleas, repeating the same routine she used to always do to her daughters and sang a strange lullaby to her. It was the first and the last time Elsa had heard the lullaby. She could never understand what language it was, but she could never, ever, forget.

 _“Sleep, my little daughter,” she remembered her mother saying as she gently pulled the blanket over her younger self’s tiny form. “I’ll just be right here.”_  
_Young princess Elsa shook her head violently. “No, you can’t be here, Mother! What if I hurt you?”_  
_Idun smiled and stroked her cheek gently. “You won’t, Isole. I know it,” she soothed. After a brief pause, the former queen inhaled a deep breath and began to sing, quietly and gently:_

Lukk øynene, min lille en. _(Close your eyes, my little one.)_

Månen har steget, solen har gått. _(The moon has risen, the sun has gone.)_

Kveld og dag er ikke mer. _(Night has fallen and day is no more.)_

Himmelen er svart og stjerner er lyse. _(Sky is black and stars are bright.)_

Jorden er i hvilemodus, og du bør, også. _(The earth is sleeping, and you should, too.)_

La dine bekymringer falme med lys. _(Let your cares fade away with the light of day.)_

Mor vil være rett ved siden av deg _(Mother will be right beside you)_

Å våke over deg _(To watch over you)_

I kveld, morgen, evig og alltid... _(Tonight, tomorrow, forever and always…)_

_When the song came to an end, the little princess had sunk to a dreamless, peaceful sleep, but she could still vaguely hear the whispering voice of her mother gently brushing against her ear, “I love you, my little daughter – today, tomorrow, forever and always.”_

“And I love you, Mother, forever and always,” Elsa whispered to herself, clenching her eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. Even though nearly three years had passed, it still pained to think about the fact that she would never have a chance to hear her mother’s voice once again, to be in her arms and let her voice lull her to sleep again like how it used to be. She would never have a chance to tell her mother, to show her how much things have changed all these years, that now she and Anna were back together, and about the woman she had become now.

 _But then again, you will be always watching me, won’t you, Mother? You will always be here, and I will always have you with me_ , Elsa thought to herself, her fingers touching the gemstone of her necklace through the fabric of her dress.

“Where did you learn that song?” a deep, unfamiliar and rather intimidating masculine voice sounded behind her, startling the young woman and causing her to whirl around sharply with a shocked gasp, eyes widened in fear. Her cerulean orbs darted around frantically, searching for the source of the voice. If she wasn’t paying too much attention on eyeing her surroundings, she might have noticed the tingle of coldness rolling from the icy blue stone of her necklace, although only for a brief second.

  
A figured slowly stepped out from the shadow of the woods, and the first thing that caught Elsa’s eyes was a pair of two irises piercing her own. She was frightened by them, firstly because they were the eyes of a stranger, completely unfamiliar to her, and secondly because of their strange and intimidating colour – they were blood-red, and they seemed to burn like fire in the night. Elsa trembled in fear and instinctively stepped backward, and she almost panicked when her back was met with the solid trunk of a tree.

“Who are you?” she demanded then winced slightly as she realised that her voice was quivering with fear; she was failing horribly in her attempt to hide her fear. The young woman mentally scolded herself. Had she not learned anything from her experiences? Never show fears, weakness or pain in front of your enemy. Be strong, confident, and stay alert, ready for anything that is to come. Was that not what her father had taught her?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you!” the man said, rather hastily. “I was merely asking how you knew the song you just hummed.”

Elsa relaxed and straightened herself up, feeling slightly relieved, knowing that at least this stranger would not harm her… yet. Now that she heard the man saying, did she actually hum that tune? How come that she didn’t know, and how did she not hear him approaching? Elsa didn’t know if it was because of her powers or not, but she just had the ability to sense it whenever someone was near or coming toward her direction; she could even somehow feel if they were about to attack her or not – this was one of the two reasons besides luck that she had been saved from a Weselton guard in the fight at her ice palace three months ago. Or maybe was it because she was so deep in thoughts that she failed to notice those things?

Dismissing the questions in her mind, Elsa looked up at the man before her again. He had finally stepped out of the dark, fully revealing his form to the moonlight shining through the open space between the leaf canopies above them. He looked to be years older than her, and much taller, even more than Kristoff; she estimated that he was about two heads taller. His hair was as black as the sky above them, and his eyes, still red as blood, but seemed to be warmer up close. There was a sword attached to his left hip, the gem at the butt of its hilt the same colour as his eyes. And much to her surprise, he was wearing a small, genuine smile on his lips. But she had learned to never trust someone whom she just met, let alone from the first sight. So the young queen braced herself, fists clenched at her sides and her once terrified blue eyes now became fearless. Maybe this man was good, maybe not. One could never be too careful.

“Who are you?” she repeated her question, this time with more confidence and stronger voice.

A chuckle escaped the stranger and he shook his head. “I think I’ve scared the hell out of you. My apologies, I tend to do that a lot,” he said with a grin.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” she countered. Now that she realised, his accent was a little strange, and he definitely did not look like someone who was from around here. No, his built wasn’t the built of someone who had spent their lives living with the sea, but of the children of the mountains. She would know, because she was a child of the sea herself, and she had seen Kristoff and his fellow ice harvesters many times. This man had quite similar built to them, though he was more slender and lean, but no less muscular and looked as if he could lift an ox easily with one arm.

“I’m merely a stranger crossing this land,” he replied, raising his hands, “And I swear to you on the honour of our Father, the Lady of Winter, all the rulers of Askeland and all the high leaders of the Glacier that I bear no ill-will toward you.” Elsa narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side, arching an eyebrow toward the stranger. He sighed and wiped his face with his large hands.

“You don’t understand what I was talking about, do you?” She shook her head in response. “I apologise, that was out of habit.”

“You tend to apologise to everyone quite a lot, do you?” Elsa said.

“Well, to you, it would seem that I do,” he chuckled again. “So, now that I’ve answered your question, I think it’s only fair that you answer mine. So, where did you learn that song?”

“You didn’t give me a satisfactory answer I wanted. Should I do the same in return? That wouldn’t be fair, now would it?”

The man’s jaw dropped slightly but he quickly closed it. “That was the best answer I could give you, so it would be fair that you did the same to me, yes.”

“Then my answer is the circumstance of when and where I learned the song is beyong my recall. The melody simply suddenly came back to me,” Elsa said with a shrug, hoping that he would quit bugging her.

Apparently, she was wrong. He was just as stubborn as her.

“Now, now, I didn’t lie to you, now did I? I can see it in your eyes that you’re not telling the truth,” he countered.

“Why should I anyway? I don’t know who you are, not even your name. You are a complete stranger to me. Why should I even trust you?” Elsa narrowed her eyes at him.

“I have sworn to you that I bear no ill-will. Besides, you are as much of a stranger to me, then why did I even answer your question at the first place?”

“You didn’t answer it very truthfully-”

“Ah, ah, ah,” he cut her off in the middle of her sentence, “I never lied. I really am a stranger crossing this land, both for pleasure and for business, if you need to know more. I just didn’t give you a full answer about who I am.”

“Fine, then to answer your question, it was a song I heard once when I was a young child. There, I said it. Satisfied? My turn to ask a question,” she raised a finger up to interrupt the stranger as he opened his mouth to say something. “Do you always just suddenly show up in the middle of the night and annoy people, especially people you don’t know, like this?”

The man seemed surprised at what she had just said to him. Actually, he felt like he had been hit by a frying pan right in the middle of the face, and believe it, he had been through that horrible experience while in Corona before. But he never expected that he would be forced to go through that again, especially not here and not by a woman whose name was a myth to him. He rarely lost in arguments and conversations, being the stubborn and witty man he was, but today, he had truly found his match.

Elsa, knowing that she had won her ground, smirked triumphantly at the strange man. “What’s the matter? Cat’s got your tongue? Why, are you already surrendering to a girl you barely met? I think we’ve only exchanged a few words. The conversation has just begun. It would be a shame to end it right here.”

The strange man cocked his head slightly to one side and rested one hand on the hilt of his sword, studying her carefully. She was slender and petite, much shorter than him, with pale skin, white hair and blue eyes mixed with silver – he guessed that perhaps it was because of the moonlight. She was lovely – beautiful, even – like a snowflake in a winter day. This girl couldn’t be much older than twenty. She clearly didn’t get out much. He knew that because no one who lived in a coastal city, especially Arendelle when the sun shone most of the time, could have such pale skin so close to the colour of the snow. And she had just bested him.

But there was something so familiar in her. He knew that he had never met her before – this was the first time he came to this land, and if he had met her, he would know, for she wasn’t someone you could easily forget, even only after the first meeting. He knew she was a complete stranger he just briefly met, but why did she feel so dear and so close to him? And when he looked into her eyes, something stirred in him. It was a strange yet familiar feeling, and it made him wonder who this young woman was.

“You know, it’s rude to stare at people, especially ones you’ve just met,” Elsa said with a perfectly raised eyebrow.

The strange man chuckled. “I apologise, my lady, but I couldn’t help but wonder why such a beautiful young woman like you would be wandering in the middle of the woods at night.”

“So you’re being polite to me now? How shocking,” she said with such sarcasm and mockery that nearly had him wincing. “But, if you think I’m falling for your lame flattery, then, kind sir, you are a hundred percent wrong.”

“Ouch, you’ve wounded me!” he rolled his eyes and placed a hand over his heart dramatically, responding her with an equal sarcasm in his voice. _Two can definitely play this game._

Surprisingly to him, that earned a small laugh from her. “You’re even worse than a stage actor,” she smirked.

 

“Well, I tried,” he shrugged. “So, do tell me, please. What on earth are you doing in the woods at night?”

Elsa knitted her brows and pursed her lips, tapping her chin with one finger, seemingly thinking deeply. “Wandering around, meeting a stranger and conversing to him, if not having a verbal match. Yes, that’s pretty much what I did and have been doing.”

“That’s not what I was asking, and I know you know,” he deadpanned.

“I know, I know,” she laughed again for the second time. “I was merely teasing you. But before I answer your question, answer me this. Why should it be of your concern? Because, let’s have a look at the situation we’re in now, shall we? Here we are, face to face, in the middle of the forest, alone, with only trees surrounding us and the moon and stars on the sky as our companions. And out of the two, I am a woman, unarmed and completely vulnerable, being with you, a man, who is much stronger and larger than me, probably has the strength to snap me into halves, and also carries a sword with him, which, let me remind you, looks to be a very strong blade that can easily pierce through the hides of trolls.”

“Actually, I’m not the only one with weapons. You’re hiding a knife, a dagger perhaps, in your left travelling boot,” he pointed out, his eyes travelling down to her left feet for one moment before meeting her surprised and slightly panicking ones. “A woman who doesn’t know how to wield it won’t possibly carry one with her, let alone hiding it in a place where she could easily draw it out whenever needs to, but not everyone would suspect. And I am quite surprise that someone like you could possibly know that much about weapons and can estimate the strength of a blade just by sight. Besides, you don’t look to be someone who cannot fight. So, no, my lady, you are not unarmed and completely vulnerable.”

This made Elsa gulp and freeze dead in place. She had thought that she’d been able to see through him, and was quite sure that she had had him with his back to the walls, but she never expected that her opponent was as much sharp and perceptive as she was. True, she had been carrying a dagger with her in anticipation of mishap. And the reason of why she knew how to wield a weapon was the regular training she’d been having with her guard captain. After the events of the Eternal Winter and her… encounter with the Weselton guards at her ice palace, Elsa had thought that it was essential that she learned how to fight, to defend herself and her family. She had been training for three months now, and she had discovered that swords and daggers were her strongest points.

Lucky for her, the man decided not to push on the matter. Instead, he stated that they weren’t focusing on the main subject and repeated his earlier question once again. Elsa sighed heavily. Perhaps it was the wisest to answer him truthfully before she tried to avoid the question and make a fool of herself again. He was quite adamant, and didn’t seem to be giving up prying her just yet.

_Well, I guess it’s kind of my fault. One should never underestimate his enemy._

She looked up shyly and met his questioning crimson eyes. “I was only wandering about in the woods, since I thought that it would release me from the stress I’ve been having recently. I’ve always loved the forests. They make me feel peaceful and… safe, I guess.” A quiet chuckle escaped her. “It’s kind of ironic, don’t you think? The woods, especially at night, are considered dangerous to everyone, much less a girl like me. I mean, who knows what kind of dangers is lurking in those shadows? You’ll never know. And it’s not every day you’ll get a chance to see a man suddenly appearing from nowhere and scaring you to death by abruptedly asking how you knew the song you were singing,” Elsa said, a playful and mischievous grin crossing her face.

The strange man laughed at her words. “I’ve already apologised for frightening you, you know. Besides, I was only curious. You heard it once when you were young, you say?”  
Elsa nodded. “Yes. You know it, too?”

“Of course, and what you just hummed a little while ago was only a verse of the whole lullaby, not the whole of it.”

“Do you know the whole song, then?”

“I’m afraid not. I, like you, only had the chance to hear it when I was still a little kid, so my some of my memories about it have faded, though I could never forget such beautiful melody. Now people rarely sing it, for only very few of them know the language. It’s a pity.”

“That’s sad,” Elsa frowned. “Do you remember the name of the song?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “It’s called Vinter Sangen, meaning The Song of Winter. It’s a folk song.”

“Oh? If so, why did people stop singing it?” she inquired.

“Well, it was written in the language of people who lived a life isolated from the outside world. They preferred it that way, though no one knew why. When they perished, so did the language, along with everything they had created. We’ve tried to preserve what was left of them and search for what could be the remainder of these people, but it was vain. Every single one of their race was killed and the area where they once lived was burnt down to the ashes,” the man answered in a grave tone, bowing his head slightly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know about it,” Elsa said quietly, biting on her bottom lip.

“I don’t blame you,” the man sighed. “Not many people knew about the race anyway, or about the attack that has destroyed them. Their existence was to be kept secret for reasons I don’t know, and the enemy had kept the raid unknown to the whole world, probably to preserve their reputation, but now, since there’s nothing to hide anymore, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you.”

“If it pleases you, I won’t tell anyone about this,” she smiled sympathetically to him. “Besides, it’s not like they would believe me anyway. But if I may ask, why were they attacked? You said that their existence was a secret well kept, so why could they have enemies?”

“That’s an excellent question. Why, indeed. Actually, at first, the enemy didn’t even know about their existence, and their aim had never been that particular race. But when they attacked us, some information leaked out and they discovered that there was a powerful tribe residing in that area, guarding it. The enemy saw them as a threat and decided to take them down. They did, and have succeeded. All of our attempts to search for the remainders of that race have been vain.”

“But there must be hope, right? Surely there must be at least one of them still alive.”

“I have received information that there is still one remainder of the race, and she is currently here, in the kingdom of Arendelle. But I don’t know for sure if she is still alive or not.”

Elsa’s eyes widened. The last living member of a race thought to be extinct was in Arendelle, her kingdom?

“Is that the reason why you came, to search for that woman?” she asked.

“Well, that’s not entirely my purpose to come to Arendelle, but yes, we’ve come in hope to find this girl.”

“We?” she arched an eyebrow.

“A friend of mine and I, but he’s not with me at the moment. We just docked this afternoon, and, well, the sea has not been in favour of him. We’re currently staying in our ship for this night, because due to my friend’s horrible conditions, we’ve decided that we will deal with everything and search for a place to stay tomorrow. After we have settled and sorted out a few businesses of our own, he will set off in this mission, while I have to take care of a few things.”

“I would advise that you two hurry up. With the harvest festival coming, all the inns in the town will be full very soon, and I fear that tomorrow there will be no room left for you two. Have you booked a place yet?”

“Unfortunately, no, that was my mistake. Alex kept scolding at me for my carelessness throughout the whole trip.”

“Alex? Is that the name of your friend?”

“That’s what we usually call him, yes. His full name is actually Alexander. But the nickname Alex has been sticking with him since the third day after he was born, so yeah.”  
“You two seem to be very close.”

“Close as siblings, you could say that. We rarely leave each other’s sides, and it gets a little bored without him beside me.”

“So I take it that you’ve also been wandering in these woods out of boredom?”

“That is quite true. Without Alex, things seem so dull. And besides, I miss the feels the woods often bring me. I think I must agree with you. They do make me feel very peaceful, and safe. It’s always been my sanctuary.”

“Same to me,” a smile cracked at Elsa’s lips and her eyes lit up.

“So, are you scared of me anymore?” he asked playfully.

“No, not anymore,” Elsa shook her head, smiling softly.

“Good,” the man kindly returned her smile with one of his own. He then shifted his gaze up to the open space above their head and looked at the night sky for a moment before turning his attention back to her.

“It’s getting rather late, don’t you think? I think it’s best that you head back home now. You probably know a thing or two about defending yourself, but that doesn’t make you invulnerable. Much beautiful as the forest can be, it is still very dangerous. I mean, who knows what kind of dangers is lurking in those shadows?” he said, flashing agrin at her.

“Using my own words against me, very smart,” she said flatly. “But you’re right. I shouldn’t stay much longer. I need to return. Else my family might discover my unannounced disappearance and will be very worried about me.”

“Should I escort you back, then? It’s unsafe for a woman like you to go alone this late at night.”

Elsa shook her head and grinned at him. “It’s very kind of you, but I must decline your offer. I should be fine on my own, so please do not bother. It has been very interesting to meet you.” She started walking away, but stopped as he abruptedly called for her.

“Wait! You’re from around here, right? Will I see you again?”

The corner of her lip lifted up in a smirk as she glanced back at him. “Just keep your eyes open while hanging around. I’m sure you’ll see me.”

“What’s your name?” he asked.

She thought for a moment then finally answered. “You’ll find out soon.” With that, she pulled on her hood and disappeared into the shadows of the forest.


End file.
